Rim for steering wheels



J. ERICKSON.

RIM FOR STEERING WHEELS.

APPLICATXON FILED FEB. 26, 1921.

1,42 1 ,434. Patented July 4, 1922..

JULIUS ERICKSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO JULIAN 13. LA PIERRE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

. nrivz FOR STEERING WHEELS.

LAZLASA.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 4, 1922.

Application filed. February 26, 1921. Serial No. 448,002.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JULIUS Emonson, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rims for Steering Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wheel rims and especially to rims for automobile steering wheels and the like.

The main objects of this invention are to provide an improved construction for steering wheel rims whereby the same will have greater strength to withstand the strain and abuse to which they are likely to be subjected, and whereby strips of material of odd lengths may be used; and to provide an improved form of laminated wheel rim.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a top plan of the laminated structure as it appears before it has been turned and surfaced.

Fig. 2 is a top plan of the finished rim.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Fig. A is a transverse section taken on the line H of Fig. 2.

In the form shown, the wheel rim comprises a laminated structure formed by a plurality of flat strips of wood or other fibrous material 1 disposed end to end and bent into an involute spiral with the laminations disposed one within another.

The opposed ends of the strips are shown secured in interlocking engagement by scarf joints 2, but if desired the strips may be ar ranged end to end in abutting relation with out any interlocking parts. To secure the laminations in spiral arrangement, glue is applied to the flat surfaces of the strips and, if desired to further strengthen the structure, one or more dowel pins may be inserted radially through the rim to hold the outermost laminations against becoming loosened.

The inner periphery of the rim is corrugated in the usual manner and at regular intervals is provided with uncorrugated surfaces 3 to receive the outer ends of the spider arms (not shown). The device may be constructed of one strip of wood of sufficient length or several short strips joined end to end in the manner described. With the latter construction there is a minimum amount of waste in material because strips having knot holes or other defects may be trimmed and cut into several short pieces and then jointed. If a small defect is located midway between the edges of the strip, the piece may sometimes be used without being trimmed if the defect is not sufiicient to impair the strength of the structure. Preferably the innermost lamination is of sufficient thickness to accommodate the corrugations without having them cut across the whole thickness of the lamination.

In the construction of the rim, the strips are steamed to facilitate the operation of coiling. After the steaming process, a number of the strips sufficient to construct one rim are arranged end to end in interlocking engagement and coiled around a mandrel. To insure proper coiling, the strips pass between friction rollers or other suitable mechanism which provides the necessary amount of resistance to the pull of the rotating mandrel to insure tight joints between the adjacent convolutions. The mandrel of the coiling machine has a diameter which is substantially equal to the inner diameter of the finished rim.

The outer end of the coil is then fastened to the structure and the device is placed in a kiln and dried to the proper degree. After leaving the drying kiln the outer end of the coil is unfastened and glue or suitable cement is applied to the fiat surfaces of the strips between the laminations. The structure is then recoiled and permitted to set until the glue is thoroughly dried. Thereafter, the laminated structure is turned to shape and surfaced, and the inner periphery is corrugated to produce the finished rim. The inner end 4; of the coil is preferably located in one of the uncorrugated surfaces 3 so as to be covered by the outer end'of one of the spider arms when the wheel is assembled. 7

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown and described it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A wheel rim comprising a laminated structure formed of a plurality of flat strips of fibrous material disposed end to end and arranged in a spiral, the opposed ends of said strips having interlocklng engagement, and the laminations being disposed one Within another and glued together.

2. The improved process of making a Wheel rim which consists in steaming a plurality of flat strips of Wood, then arranging said strips end to end with the opposed l0 ends in interlocking engagement, coiling JULIUS ERICKSON. 

